1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method to use a roof fastener driving tool for the installation of siding and more particularly to an adapter for attachment to fastener driving tools from any one of several manufacturers which is used to rapidly and automatically install siding on a structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Siding used in the construction industry which is installed on the side of a structure may be formed of aluminum or plastic such as vinyl. The siding is a long strip of material having a lateral ridge near the top along the entire length of the strip. Above the lateral ridge there is a segment having a plurality of spaced-apart lateral slots formed therein. At the present time, the strip is held against the structure and a construction employee places the point of fastener with a head (such as a nail) in one of the lateral slots. With a hammer, the nail is driven in until the head is at approximately a predetermined distance from the structure. The nail should not be driven in to be flush with the structure but there should be a space between the slots in the siding and the structure. This is important because the siding must be capable of moving slightly when the siding expands and contracts during changes in temperature in the weather cycle. If the siding is firmly anchored to the structure, the siding buckles and deforms. In the present usage, the operator frequently does not drive the nail into the structure properly. The head of the nail may be too far from the structure allowing the siding to sag, providing insufficient protection to the structure. If the head is too close to the structure, the siding may not expand or contract without damage. A major problem is that the above-identified installation of siding is a slow process which requires large expenditures of man-hours. In addition, there is the problem of the hammer of the operator hitting the siding on the slots or on the lateral ridge immediately below the slots. In either situation, the siding may be damaged and fail to protect the structure.
The installation of shingles on the roof of a structure was also costly and slow until the advent of the fastener driving tool to permit an operator to very rapidly and efficiently install shingles on a roof. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,167 Howard et al disclose a positioning mechanism for a pneumatically-powered combustion-powered fastener-driving tool including a nosepiece, and a mechanism for positioning the tool relative to an opening in a workpiece to be fastened to another workpiece. The device is used for framing lumber. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,588, Lin discloses an auxiliary slidable abutment pivotally mounted on the nail carriage of a nailing gun. The abutment is slidable and can be locked at any given point of its sliding course. The nailing gun can drive the nails with precision into a workpiece at a prescribed angle. It is used for toe nailing framing lumber. La Plante in U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,499 discloses a tool for installing beveled wooden siding and for maintaining the spacing in exposed siding. Holliday in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,455 discloses an adapter for a fastener driving tool to control the depth of penetration of a fastener used in installing siding. However, the need exists for controlling the distance of the head of the fastener from the structure, not the depth to which the fastener is driven.
Thus, there is a need for a tool which provides the ability for an operator to install siding more rapidly, more economically and without damage to the siding.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple adapter for a fastener driving tool so the tool can be used for installation of siding.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for rapidly and economically installing siding.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed an adapter attached to a fastener driving tool for installing siding on a structure. The fastener driving tool has a movable driver. The fastener driving tool has a face plate on an end thereof, the face plate having an opening therein. The adapter has a top, a bottom, a front face, an opposite back face and a thickness between the front face and the back face. An opening is formed in the adapter between the front face and the back face, the opening being aligned with the opening in the face plate. A plurality of fasteners are stored within the fastener driving tool, each fastener having a head. Means are provided for automatically sequentially introducing one of the plurality of fasteners to the movable driver. Each fastener has a head and a sharpened shank. A trigger is connected to the driving tool. Activating the trigger moves the movable driver against the head of the fastener to drive the shank of the fastener through the opening in the face plate, through the opening in the adapter and through a slot in the siding. The head of the fastener is stopped at a predetermined distance from the structure.
In further accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed an adapter for use with a fastener driving tool for installation of siding on a structure. The adapter has a body having a top, a bottom, a front face, a back face, and a thickness between the front face and the back face. A jaw is formed on the front face of the body near the bottom thereof. A cavity is formed in the back face of the body. A through opening is provided between the front face and the back face of the body communicating with the cavity. Means are provided for removably attaching the adapter to the fastener driving tool.
In another aspect there is disclosed a method of installing siding on a structure. Siding is provided having a lateral ridge formed thereon. A plurality of spaced-apart lateral slots are formed above the lateral ridge. A fastener driving tool is provided having a plurality of fasteners stored therein. Each fastener has a head and a sharpened shank. The fastener driving tool has a movable driver. The fastener driving tool has a face plate on an end thereof. The face plate has an opening therein. A trigger is connected to the fastener driving tool to activate the movable driver. An adapter is provided having a front face and an opposite back face. The adapter has a cavity formed in the back face, and an opening is formed in the adapter between the front face and the back face. The opening in the adapter is aligned with the opening in the face plate. The adapter has a jaw formed on the front face of the adapter. The adapter is mounted on the face plate of the movable driver, wherein the face plate is received in the cavity in the back face of the adapter. The fastener driving tool is disposed on the siding such that the jaw on the adapter abuts the lateral ridge on the siding and the opening in the adapter is aligned with a selected one of the lateral slots in the siding. The fastener driving tool is triggered wherein the movable driver impacts the head of one of the fasteners and drives the fastener through the opening in the face plate, through the opening in the adapter and into the lateral slot in the siding, such that the head of the fastener is spaced apart a predetermined distance form the structure. The fastener driving tool is moved opposite another lateral slot in the siding. The jaw of the adapter is abutted to the lateral ridge on the siding and the fastener driving tool is triggered. The steps are repeated to install the siding automatically and rapidly, avoiding damage to the siding.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the enclosed drawings.